Cogheart

Chapter Three: The Girl In The Mask

As I take the first few steps into the scrapyard, I feel free and in my element. Pulling an Excavator Tool from my belt, I prepare to make a sizable dent in the first junk pile I see, until I freeze up at a sudden noise from the massive hull of a discarded gondola. A small cry, and a bump. Someone is behind that massive hull of rusted gondola, crouching beneath it's metal shield. With my normal eyesight, I never would've seen them. My fingers instinctively fly to the gear crossbow positioned at my hip, but I think better of it. Perhaps the person behind the rubble is hiding from me, assuming I wish to do them harm. Or they're crouching, waiting for me to turn my back so they can rob me blind. 

I take a few tentative steps backward. I slide the crossbow into my hand, but keep a loose hold on it to make sure I don't pull the trigger by accident. Whoever is behind the metal heap doesn't know I can see them. I smile softly, tugging at the focus feature of the goggles, zooming in on the strange, heated mass behind the rubble. They don't appear to be moving- either they're hiding, or injured enough that they can't move. 

I take a step towards the gondola when I hear an earsplitting buzz right next to my ear. I groan, clutching the affected ear and turning down the volume of the metal detector. Shouldn't have set it so loud, I've almost given myself away. But the person behind the wall doesn't move- until the buzzer gives another squeal, albeit quieter this time. 

"Shut up!" I hiss to no one in particular. "What's wrong with this thing?" 

The detector continues to beep as I observe the person behind the wall shift a few meters. Mercifully, they don't appear to have noticed me yet. Squeal, buzz. The damned noises of the metal detector once again disturb my concentration. 

I turn away in frustration, attempting to fumble with the setting. However, I find, curiously, the beeping has ceased. It's quiet, again. 

"What the devil? Is this thing on the fritz?" I curiously shift my gaze back towards the heat coming from the wall, indicating that whoever's behind there still hasn't left. Beep. There it is again. I focus my goggles directly on the person, which, to my alarm, seems to be standing up from their crouching position. Beep. The loud noise in my ear won't stop. 

I frown, turning the goggle focus to the massive pile of old shoes beside the gondola. Instantly, the beeping stops completely. Dead silence, nothing but the light whistle of sandy wind and clanking of garbage and metal falling. 

Unnerved, I turn back to the person, still behind the wall. What was going on? Why was the metal detector behaving so erratically? 

"Could it be whoever's behind the wall?" I wonder aloud before cursing my own stupidity. Too loud, someone may have heard. 

To experiment, I turn the metal detector to full focus capacity, zooming directly in on the now standing human behind the wall who has moved into a protective stance. Seems they've finally noticed my presence and are preparing to run, either at me or away from me. 

Beep. The metal detector's ring is loud and clear. 

I step backwards in sheer shock. I can barely register the incessant beeping in the background. The goggles have only focused on the human. And yet, the detector is going off? How utterly bizarre. 

I take a sharp breath as an unnerving realization comes to me. Could whoever is there be made from metal parts? Or are they simply carrying valuable items in their pockets? The theories make my head spin from confusion. One thing's for certain- I need to catch them before they strike, or run away. 

I adjust the maximum heat coverage feature. The world of the goggles suddenly burns brighter, and I can now see the outlined shape of a person, clear as day behind the wall. They appear to be a young woman, but I can't exactly be sure.